1. First Generation Students Redefined: Challenging Modern Day Perceptions
Sandra Rodriguez
Director, Center for Student Engagement
Rocio Ayard Ochoa
Assistant Director, Center for Student Engagement
Jennifer Lowman
Director, Student Persistence Research
Rocio
Introduce myself and introduce session. Turn it over to Sandy.

2. NASPA's Lead Initiative on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (Lead Initiative) is committed to encouraging and highlighting the work of student affairs in making civic learning and democratic engagement a part of every student's college education.
Sandy
The University of Nevada, Reno has been recognized as a LEAD institution, joining only 96 others nationally. The University of Nevada, Reno has also been named a LEAD Consulting Institution working with 8 other institutions on civic engagement initiatives.
This designation comes from NASPA, which recognizes colleges and universities that are committed to civic learning and democratic engagement.

3. The University of Nevada, Reno
Current Enrollment- 22,500 students
Projected Enrollment in 5 years – 24,800 students
Majority minority in 5-10 years
First Year classes have already hit 43%
Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution – 18%
Currently 30% of our students are Pell eligible
Estimate 45% of students are first generation
70% of students are on some form of financial aid
Estimate 90% will be on financial aid by 2025
Access, persistence and graduation an imperative
Graduating citizen students is a necessity
Sandy
Who is the The University of Nevada, Reno?

4. Social Integration, the College Experience & Responsible Citizenship
Student Services, Academic Affairs, Extended Studies
Student Governments
Community Partners
Service Recipients
Persistence and Graduation
Sandy
Purpose

5. Sandy
Introduce and discuss Model

6. Center for Student Engagement
Works collaboratively with the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN) and The Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Life Services under the Division of Student Services.
Purpose is to engage, educate and empower undergraduate students to take action in the best interest of the student body and the University community.
Sandy

7. Center for Student Engagement
Student Engagement fosters the development of student’s:
Civic responsibility
Responsible citizenship
Leadership
Personal growth.
Dialogue is the heart of our curriculum and our advocacy.
Completely funded by student government and receive no state funding
Sandy

8. Activities Involvement Engagement Where do we go next?
Overview
Activities Involvement Engagement Where do we go next?
Sandy
Evolution of our center

9. Session Objectives
first gen student perceptions & behaviors regarding civic engagement (CSE 2015)
how participation in a club can positively impact college success (Tinto 2010, Astin 1993)
next generation practices to engage first gen students to increase retention & graduation rates, self efficacy & agency (Bandura 1977, 2006)
Rocio
An understanding of…

10. Activity
What are modern perceptions of first-gen students? (Attendee responses included)
Lack of preparedness
Motivation is lacking
Poor gpa
Lack of self efficacy in accessing resources
No family support
Rocio
Divide group into smaller groups and discuss the following: common perceptions, research and stereotypes regarding first generation students (10 min)

11. Survey Purpose Establish a baseline related to CLDE
Educational: create a common language
Volunteerism, Activism, Self-governance
Inform next generation practices
Examine GPA, credit load & correlation to persistence
Sandy
"The Center for Student Engagement at the University of Nevada, Reno works with 244 active clubs and organizations that engage in campus, local, and national communities in a variety of ways. We recently conducted a survey sent to 1363 student club members exploring their perceptions regarding and participation in various forms of civic engagement defined by Thomas Ehrlich, 2000, as “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference.” The types of civic engagement studied included volunteerism, community service, engaged scholarship, philanthropy, activism, and self-governance.
Of the 382 respondents 120 self-identified as the first person in their immediate family to attend college. Cross tabulations were run in juxtaposition to students who did not self-identify as the first person to attend college in their immediate family and several significant differences were identified. This round table discussion will explore the key differences identified in the study and explore promising practices that could be implemented in regards to outreach and the facilitation of equity and inclusion for first-generation students in co-curricular civic learning and democratic engagement opportunities.“
384 completed 28% complete rate (1363 students were sent the survey and )
Mixed methods (quantitative with 2 qualitative questions)

12. Survey Methodology Modeled after Tufts
Sample Frame: 10 members from 244 clubs
384:1363 participants 28% participation rate
Focused on Behavioral & Attitudinal questions
Mixed methods
Jen
Modeled after the Tufts “National Survey of Civic and Political Engagement of Young People”

13. Cross Comparison – GPA, Credit Load, First Gen Status
Of 384 survey participants,
More first-gen women
More likely to be Hispanic/Latinx
More first-gen live off-campus
First –gen club members carry more units each term & had a higher GPA

14. Cross Comparison – GPA, Credit Load, First Gen Status

15. Behavioral Results
Of 382 Respondents 120 self-identified as first person in their immediate family to attend college (Definition in the survey)
More likely to engage…
community service
volunteerism
protest
boycotted
civil disobedience
engage others in civil disobedience
More likely to express views…
on social media
to an elected officials
in a publication
Jen
Of 382 respondents 120 self-identified as the first person in their immediate family to attend college.

16. Attitudinal Results – First Gen
Volunteering was a motivation to help others not to advance their career
Significant Increased altruism among first-generation respondents (support)
Jen– add finding from Question #5
Volunteering was a motivation to help others not to advance their career
Discuss difference between attitudes and behaviors

17. Strategies related to first-gen students in clubs & orgs
Connect first-gen students to clubs and organizations
Higher GPA
Positive attitude towards CLDE initiatives
Engage civically at a higher rate than their peers
Increase voter turnout by specifically connecting them to the democratic engagement process – Turbovote, etc.
Formulate marketing strategies for positive identity development –Orientation message - First Gen Proud
Develop and implement a social norming campaign that validates first gen students existing culture of civic engagement - I’m first gen and I vote!
Frame our civic engagement outreach and implementation through clubs and organizations to a growing Hispanic student population – Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution
Develop a civic engagement model for clubs and organizations – Club LEAD
Jen & Sandy
data are not strong enough to make a causal claim but there is a correlation. There are two possible explanations, right?
It may be that clubs and orgs help students improve their GPA OR
it may be that students who do better in school (already have a high GPA) are more likely to join clubs and orgs.
Therefore, all you can say is that students in clubs and orgs have higher GPAs but you can’t explain why although we can speculate. During your talk you should discuss the two possible explanations given above and then you can provide an explanation if you think one is more probable than the other.
In the Fall of 2016, the Center for Student Engagement will be implementing the Clubs & Orgs Civic Engagement Model (COCEM). The Clubs & Orgs Civic Engagement Model will allow the Center for Student Engagement to promote and engage clubs & organizations in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE). Furthermore, the Clubs & Orgs Civic Engagement Model will instill the development of knowledge, skills, values and motivation among clubs & orgs to make a difference in their communities (Ehrlich, 2000, vi).
The Clubs & Orgs Civic Engagement Model will address the following goals:
Promote and engage Clubs & Organizations in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement
Instill the development of knowledge, skills, values and motivation among clubs & orgs to make a difference in their communities (Ehrlich, 2000, vi).
Lead 1: desire, initiative, & participation
Tourist- curiosity
Lead  2: engagement, leadership & knowledge
Traveler- meaningful discovery
Lead  3: connect/collaborate & take action
Guide- alignment & internalization (awakening of conscious)

18. Implications for Practice
GivePulse (intrusive intervention)
clubLEAD
Self efficacy
Agency
Sandy continued
Givepulse- club renewal

19. Implications for Practice - GivePulse
Sandy continued
Givepulse- club renewal

20. Implications for Practice - clubLEAD
Purposefully direct Clubs & Organizations toward Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement.
Instill the development of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation among Clubs & Organizations to make a difference in their communities (Ehrlich, 2000, vi).
Web link
Sandy continued
Givepulse- club renewal

21. Implications for Practice – Self Efficacy
First Gen students in our survey were already motivated to give back to their community.
Social Capital
Collectivism
Capitalizing on what they bring to our institutions
Sandy continued
Givepulse- club renewal

22. Implications for Practice - Agency
Empowering students through (co)curricular strategies that; engage them meaningfully, respect their voices and lived experiences as valued within higher education, connect them to their responsibilities within their communities, promote meaningful relationships, help them see themselves in a holistic sense, help them to understand their interconnectedness to the world in which they live….taking charge of their learning to ACT to make communities a better place.
What and how we teach matters.
Sandy continued
Givepulse- club renewal

23. Conclusion So where do we go next? Why
Research
Continued assessment
Adding to the body of knowledge
Why
Activities Involvement Engagement
Next Generation Practices!
Sandy

24. Sandra Rodriguez srodz@unr.edu Rocio Ayard Ochoa rayardochoa@unr.edu
Jennifer Lowman
Rocio